Conventionally, a photomechanical camera is used for separating color components of an original color picture.
Recently, in response to a need for higher resolving ability and color reproducing certainty, an image reproducing system called a color scanner has been put to practical use. As the size of the film is standardized, sometimes unused area is produced depending on desired size of reproduced images.
If the width of the unused area is within a few centimeters, the film can be considered to be effectively used. But in actual situations, there remain rather broad unused areas on a film, and only a very limited part of the unused area is utilized. To overcome this problem the simultaneous color separation procedure, using a plurality of original pictures for recording a film, can be considered. However, this method is not practical because the color tone, density and magnification factor of each original picture must be approximately unified, which requires limited combinations of original pictures.
As a solution for the above problem, a color scanner capable of simultaneously recording on a film a set of color separation images is put into practice and disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 52-18601. However even the described color scanner has a defect with respect to effective use of a film as follows. Even when respective four color components Y, M, C, and K of original pictures H and I, and the yellow color separation image (A'.sub.Y) of the original picture A are required to be produced on a film, said color sanner cannot perform a recording operation in which the other color separation images A.sub.M, A.sub.C, and A.sub.K are eliminated as shown in hatched area of FIG. 1(a). Still further, hatched areas shown in FIG. 1(c), (e), and (g) are not utilized in an actual process of recording films.